The Girl On The Train-The Book, The Movie & A Giveaway

There's been a change in literature and film recently, one I am really welcoming. We are seeing women in much more complex roles. Gender disparities are being challenged and the story lines on offer go beyond that of your standard rom-com. I despise that term by the way, I'm just applying it for the sake of this post. Gillian Flynn is one of the game-changers writing about multifaceted women but she has a challenger in the form of Paula Hawkins, author of last year's bestseller and beach/pass copies to all your friends read, The Girl on the Train.

I only got around to reading this book last month but I intentionally waited so it was fresh before I saw the film. I devoured this book, not quite as quickly as I did Gone Girl thanks to assignments and things but still fast nonetheless. It tells the story of Rachel, an alcoholic separated from her husband yet still fixated on him and her former married life. Each day she catches the train and observes her old life and that of the people she doesn't know. After the disappearance of a local woman and Rachel's lack of recollection from the night of her last sighting, she begins to wonder if she was involved. I will leave that summary there, lest I ruin it for anybody. I absolutely raced through this book. It had such a varied list of suspects, given the book shifted through three different voices and while I did come close to the final outcome, I had many other theories that were competing. One thing that did bother me a little bit was the changing perspectives. I think Rachel's point of view works best in the book but otherwise I really enjoyed this one.

Now on to the movie, I was lucky enough to attend a preview screening for this before it was released and I was excited. Not only for the film but also because Emily Blunt, one of my all-time favourite actresses was in it. The key difference between the book and the film was that the book was set in New York. Honestly I don't feel like it makes a huge difference really. Otherwise this adaptation was extremely faithful to the book and any changes made only served to enhance the plot. Unlike the book, I feel like the three intertwining stories of Megan, Anna and Rachel all play out much better on screen. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I was still tense watching it and felt edgy in places. I really, really loved the movie though. Emily Blunt is amazing as Rachel. She's such a versatile actress anyway but she really shines in this movie. Fingers crossed she gets the recognition for it come awards season.

Now for the fun part, NZ readers, I have one double pass to give away to see The Girl on the Train* and one which I am giving away on my Instagram. To enter, you just need to tell me your favourite book to film adaptation in the comments below. This giveaway will close next Thursday the 20th of October and I will contact the winners later that day to arrange posting the passes to you. For additional entries, fill in the Rafflecopter box below and comment over on Instagram too. Good luck!